Marktplaats as an advertising channel. When the Dutch platform was founded in 1999, advertising was not even an option. After all, the platform was founded to connect people with each other and thus give things a second life. In the Netherlands, Marktplaats is still the channel to offer or buy second-hand items. To substantiate this with figures: Marktplaats has more than 8 million unique visitors per month, 2.1 million per day and more than 1 billion viewed advertisements per month. At Hide and Seek we recently followed another online training at Marktplaats from which we want to share a few things.
Want to sell new products on Marktplaats?
If you read the above, it is not surprising that you do not immediately think of selling new products on Marktplaats. However, the platform claims that a whopping 40% of visitors search for new products. In addition, for some product categories there is much more demand than supply on Marktplaats. Combined with the fact that an average visitor spends 22 minutes on the platform, this means that offering new products on Marktplaats can definitely be interesting. But how does this work?
Marktplaats Pro (Admarkt)
Marktplaats pro is the performance channel within Marktplaats, just like Google Ads is from Google. The platform works on a CPC basis, where you only pay for ad clicks. Website clicks within the ads are free. The ad clicks are when someone clicks on your ad between private ads. A website click counts when someone clicks through to your website within an ad (see below).
You set up the advertisements manually within Marktplaats Pro or import them via a feed management system such as Channable . The way it is recommended to work is to match your ads on certain keywords (just like in Google Search). The reason for this is that 80% of Marktplaats users use the search function and only 20% of the available categories. The advice from the platform itself is to focus on the 80% majority.
The platform is very suitable for attracting new audiences and, in their own words, also for realising first-click conversions. You will find many people on the platform who are still in the investigative phase of the buying process.
Create Marktplaats advertisements
Ok enough numbers, let’s talk business. After all, how can you stand out among all the private advertisements? Actually, this is basically not very different from Google Search.
Title
This logically starts with a clear title. For this it is important that you do proper research into which search terms people use to search for the product you offer. For example, some people will search for a ‘dishwasher’, while others will search for a ‘dishwasher’. At Hide and Seek, we can request the search volumes for your product from our Marktplaats representative. This gives us an idea of where to start.
Description & Photos
In addition, a clear description is important. This should contain: a short introduction (visible in the search results), your most important USPs, a good product description and possibly some information about your company. The formatting of your description should look good. That means clear paragraphs and easy to read. After a user clicks, the photos are the first thing they notice. It can vary per product which photos work better, so testing with this is smart. In general, the more photos the better.
Price
Furthermore, Marktplaats is a platform where you must be able to offer a competitive price. If the price of the private advertisements on Marktplaats is many times lower, it will be difficult for you to sell your new (or high-quality second-hand) product. However, check per product category whether your product is ‘high in demand’ or not. If demand exceeds supply, you are in a better position to ask for a higher price. We are happy to help you find out what this price should be for you on Marktplaats.
Ultimately you want to get people to the website so that the sale can take place here. However, it is in itself a plus if one ends up on the website. In this way, the new visitor ends up in your website remarketing pool and you can also reach him / her in other ways . However, make sure that your website tracking is in order. This way you can see whether the click that led from Marktplaats to your website is of high quality or not. For more information on this, read our blog about the importance of tracking .
To test
Test, test, test. Obviously we can’t say this often enough. Your ad has never actually been tested, although you can get close to a perfect version. Marktplaats pro does not have as many features as, for example, a Google or Facebook. However, there are still some things you can test. This way you can test with different photos, titles, descriptions and landing pages to name a few.
Pros
There are a number of advantages that we see at Marktplaats. First of all, it is a platform that can very well serve as a channel to reach and persuade the orienting user. So it is important that your advertisement fits well with the questions people have about the product? This way you can attract this potential customer to you.
Furthermore, the average advertisement CPC on Marktplaats is quite low; between €0.02 and €0.04. So you can drag in quite a few ad clicks with little budget. The most important thing, however, is that the ad is seen as relevant by the system and the user, after which a website click follows.
Finally, the platform generates customers, not just buyers. This means that the sale takes place on your own platform and not on Marktplaats itself. So you collect the data and data and after a sale you have a new customer.
Negatives
There are also some caveats to the platform. Marktplaats Pro is not very extensive when it comes to functionalities. For example, almost everything has to be set up manually and no bulk actions can be performed. Functionalities that we are used to with other platforms. There is also no clear campaign structure with campaigns and ad groups (yet). Marktplaats Pro only uses advertisements. However, we know that we are working hard at the rear to take this to a higher level as soon as possible. And for the time being, it is possible to work well within the current interface as long as it is planned well in advance!
Hide and Seek
Have you become curious or are you already sure that you want to start advertising on this platform? Then get in touch via the below contact form ! Marktplaats offers a 3-month kickstarter pilot for companies that are just starting to advertise on the platform. With a minimum monthly spend of €1000 you will receive €250 advertising credit on the first invoice. In addition, we can request the search volumes and benchmarks within your product category to see if it makes sense for you to start at all.